In Your Sleep
by byhelenahandbasket
Summary: Alternate Universe with vampires. Bella and Edward meet under different circumstances. With nothing to stop him from taking what he wants, will he find the strength to overcome his bloodlust and fall in love?
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

Hers was a life that had been so ordinary, so normal that it was easy to pinpoint the exact moment at which everything shifted.

Her looks were average: not ugly, but not striking. At times she had wished to be skinnier, curvier, prettier, _anything_ -er. But average was better than sub-par, and not being a knockout let her blend in, which she liked.

She was intelligent enough to do well in classes without struggling much, but she didn't deceive herself that she was a genius.

She had a few casual friends, but no one special who knew the essence of her, had been taken on a few first dates, but nothing more, and had never been in love.

Her parents fought and loved and fought some more. Never fairy tale happy, but never broken up. This, she had concluded from things she knew from friends, books and movies was more the norm than the exception. They, the three of them, were a thoroughly ordinary family, living in a thoroughly ordinary house in a suburb.

She went to the state college, not far from home and focused on literature. Her goals in life were simple: a degree, a job, maybe marriage and family in the future. If she could write a book that people liked or have a few students fondly remember her in their old age, she would consider herself to be extremely successful.

Bella Swan seemed perfectly average in every way, and that was fine with her.

The one time that she made a decision to do something just a little unusual for her seemed to set her fate awry, and her normal life was irrevocably lost.

Between her sophomore and junior years in college, she joined a group of students who were teaching English at a language school in Budapest for the summer. She'd always wanted to travel, but had never expected a chance to do much of it. To have a passport fat with extra pages and immigration stamps, to make her way through foreign airports and train stations with signs she couldn't read, to have memories of places and foods and faces far removed from her daily life was something she'd longed for, but buried somewhere deep inside of her.

This was the part of her that simply didn't fit in an ordinary life: the part of her that looked at pictures of fjords and castles and cemeteries and jagged mountain ranges and felt like she'd been there or should be there; the part of her that thrilled to stories of werewolves and vampires and warriors and relished the slight shiver of fear and anticipation she felt; the part of her that wanted more, much more than anything she would experience in the life that stretched out straight and simple and safe and predictable before her.

She hoped that by taking this trip, she would get all of that out of her system. If she could go _there_, go anywhere and see that in reality it was just as ordinary as _here_, then she could settle in to her life as she'd planned it with no regret, no reservations. She could purge herself of the feeling that had plagued her for years – the feeling that she was incomplete and meant for something extraordinary. Who was she to feel that way?

Travel was much more uncomfortable than the books made it sound, but arriving was incredible.

Teaching was ordinary in the extreme. She was good at it, and it came easily to her. It was the hours she was not teaching, though, that caused her blood to sing with new found excitement and eagerness for life.

The weight of the ancient city invaded her consciousness with an almost tangible weight. On the weekends, they traveled in a group to some of the old villages in the area to visit castles and churches and mountains. She didn't believe in reincarnation but could not shake the feeling that she had either been here before or that something here was trying to reach out and pull her in. It was equal parts eerie and thrilling. It was nothing she could explain in words, but it was as if someone, something was watching her and drawing her into a future entirely unlike what she had planned.

She welcomed it.

-----

Aro had long since grown used to the tug of what he could only explain as fate. Why he was drawn to certain places at certain times he could not be sure, but it worked to the benefit of himself and his kind often enough that he no longer questioned it. He drifted with the pull, curious to see the results.

On this cloudy afternoon he was sitting in a square in Budapest, his eye on a young man he suspected had the gift of foreknowledge, waiting to see if he would feel the spark he experienced when it was time to make a connection.

The results were surprising, even to one so old and experienced as himself. Not only did the young man manifest an extraordinarily strong vision, but the contents of the vision pulled Aro in another direction completely.

The man was distracted, as so many young men often are, by a pretty face. As soon as he focused on the girl, he began to see her future.

_Aro saw himself making a phone call that would spare her from the fate intended for her parents._

_Then he saw the girl, still human yet working at Aro's school._

_The girl, asleep on her bed, unaware as a young vampire brooded over her._

_The vampire tracing her veins down her neck, across soft breasts, to the juncture between her thighs, inhaling her scent as he did so. Nearly at the end of his control, overwhelmed by the conflict of his raging bloodlust yet put back into balance by the absolute adoration and love he felt for her._

_The girl, pale and even more beautiful, hand in hand with the young vampire asking for Aro's blessing._

It seemed that he had come all this way to secure Edward Cullen's eternal happiness.

---

A/N: As you can see, this is going to be an AU fic. But there are vampires, I'm sticking with most of the traditional Twilight mythology and I am doing my best at keeping people in character. Aro, obviously, and most of the Volturi will be more or less out of character. I'm doing this NaNoWriMo style, so I plan to work on it every day. Enjoy!


	2. Chapter 1: Loss

For nearly fifty years, The Volterra School had been a cornerstone of the city of Forks. The staff and students brought business to a town that would have otherwise remained relatively poor and completely obscure. At its founding, the students themselves had been a cause for concern to the townsfolk. Students of the school were all orphans, all teens, all from potentially troubled backgrounds. No reasonable town could contemplate one or two hundred potentially dangerous teens without genuine reason to worry.

But there had never been trouble; not once. The students of the school were all well behaved and stayed mostly within the grounds of the campus, except for rare sunny days when they were free to travel in well managed groups. In no time, the school had gone from being something to fear, to something the town was intensely proud of.

The school did wonderful, altruistic work – something rare in this modern, materialistic world. With the school in place, the town's crime statistics had fallen to nearly zero, aside from the occasional out-of-towner speeding dangerously on the windy roads. The founders of the school were generous in their donations to the local library, schools, and community center. They shopped locally for supplies and were a mainstay of the local economy.

If there was ever anything about the school and its staff that made the townsfolk uncomfortable, they managed to block it out and ignore it. .

If anyone ever noticed that the staff of the school seemed to age extremely slowly, if at all, it was never acknowledged.

If the people of Forks had strange, erotic dreams about the staff of the school that occasionally left them fatigued for days, they went to Dr. Cullen for free vitamin supplements and left it at that.

In the town of Forks, there were things one spoke about and things one did not.

One's instinctual misgivings about The Volterra School fell into the category of things collectively, if unconsciously, agreed on as better not discussed.

The good townsfolk of Forks slept comfortably in their beds at night; the large school on the outskirts of town, managed by a coven of quiet, careful vampires did not disturb them in the slightest.

-----

Bella had never been a believer in luck. She believed that she created her own future and fate, not that breaking a mirror or seeing a black cat would cause her unavoidable consequences.

But it could not be denied that a black cloud had followed her back from Hungary. She could remember the day she felt it settle around her: the day that the strange, yet undeniably beautiful man had stared at her so intensely in the square. He had looked at her as though he knew her, although that was impossible. She felt a strange pull towards him, as if he held the key to her future, which was also impossible. She had turned away as soon as she could manage it, but it had taken a strange amount of effort. She felt the urge to simply rest her palm in his hand, and the thought was so disturbing that she immediately shoved her hands deep in her pockets as she slouched away.

Her return trip was easier than her journey over and she was fatigued in the extreme by the time her plane landed. Renee had picked her up at the airport alone – Charlie stuck at work covering the shift of another officer who'd come down with the flu -- and they had driven back to Tacoma. She'd slept for many more hours than normal in an effort to get over her jet lag and prepare for the next semester. That Wednesday night, as usual, Renee had her class. The class of the month this time was pottery or Pilates or… whatever. It wouldn't last long. Bella and Charlie always met at his favorite diner, one too greasy for Renee's liking, on Wednesday nights at 6:30. She knew just how long it took and was nearly out the door at her normal time when the phone rang.

It seemed that something had gotten screwed up with her scholarship, though why someone was still in the university offices at 6:10 in the evening, she didn't know, but she was glad for the chance to get everything cleared up before the semester started. The person on the other end seemed strangely unorganized, and then seemed to sigh in relief as he said, "Well. I think I've kept you on the phone long enough. It's alright now."

Bella had grabbed up her purse and driven slightly faster than normal (her father would be so upset if he knew) to get to the diner. Charlie was always so hungry after a shift.

The flashing blue and red lights in front of the diner were her first clue that something was very wrong. The pity in the eyes of Charlie's officer friends was the second clue.

The next few days, weeks, and months passed in a haze of grief and numbness. She continued with classes, afraid she would lose her scholarship. She took over the bills and the will and the insurance paperwork, knowing Renee would end up hopelessly muddled. She cooked and cleaned and calmed her mother when needed, then escaped alone to her room to find a semblance of solace for herself. In short, the time from that horrible Wednesday in August to one vivid evening in May passed in a blur.

It had been so long since she'd actually felt anything, that waking up was painful. She was woken up sharply when Renee informed her that she was going out on a date. The idea of her mother dating again was so absurd, so painful, that Bella could barely process it. Being a dutiful daughter, she smothered the pain and sense of betrayal and was always polite and warm to Phil. She couldn't deny that he was helpful to Renee, who needed to be loved and cared for in a way Bella couldn't.

A week after Bella's college graduation, she attended her mother's small civil wedding to Phil. They had insisted that Bella pack up and go with them on their short honeymoon to some tropical island before she started her rounds of job interviews. Renee had grown concerned as Bella had grown more pale and thin than normal and she hoped that a few days of reading by the pool under the tropical sun would benefit Bella.

"And anyway, it's not like I'm a virginal, blushing bride. You'll have your days and nights to yourself, but I hope you'll join us for dinner," Renee had said. Seeing Bella gear up to refuse, she had sighed and made a request. "Please, Bella. You're all grown up now, I know. My honeymoon is probably not where you want to be, but it's my last chance to spoil you. Please, just let me be a mom for you one last time."

Bella had agreed and the time away had been lovely and restful.

On the morning of their return she had helped Renee pack up the luggage and the three of them had gone to the small island airport to board their plane. As they started to check in, though, they were informed that the flight had been overbooked. Perhaps there was someone important who had pulled strings, but whatever the reason, there were only seats for two. Since both her mom and Phil had jobs to get back to, Bella had accepted the offer of one more night at the hotel and had hugged them both and waved goodbye.

At the last minute, Renee had run back and grabbed Bella up into another hug, pressing her palms against Bella's cheeks. "I love you, sweetheart. Be happy."

It was a moment that Bella would relive again and again as she got the news that the small plane had malfunctioned and crashed somewhere over the ocean, all passengers lost and presumed dead.

And that was that.

Now she had no one: grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and parents all gone.

She had lost everything.


	3. Lust

**I apologize for keeping you waiting so long for the next chapter. I have erased so many versions of it, trying to find what would work best. I hope this satisfies. Some of you were concerned that Aro is trying to kill Bella. He is not. He is determined to keep her alive – for Edward.**

**In case you've forgotten the previous chapters, Bella has lost both Charlie and Renee and Phil. She is alone; alive only because of strange good luck.**

**-----**

_At the last minute, Renee had run back and grabbed Bella up into another hug, pressing her palms against Bella's cheeks. "I love you, sweetheart. Be happy."_

_It was a moment that Bella would relive again and again as she got the news that the small plane had malfunctioned and crashed somewhere over the ocean, all passengers lost and presumed dead._

_And that was that._

_Now she had no one: grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and parents all gone._

_She had lost everything._

-----

In preparation for the next round of job interviews for the Volterra School, Alice had booked a set of rooms in a hotel in Seattle. Jasper and Edward functioned as the interview team, their unique gifts allowing them a fairly reliable chance of determining the character of whoever they were interviewing. Usually, they had at least a dozen candidates lined up for each new job.

Today, however, Alice had informed them that they were there for one, specific woman. The interview, in her opinion, was unnecessary. Aro wanted the woman, and Alice could see her accepting the position – what could be less complicated than that? Jasper and Edward, though, knowing the way that Alice's gift sometimes muddled her understading of the here and now, preferred to go ahead with the formal interview. It wouldn't do to simply arrive at her house and tell her that she was hired without having undergone the usual formalities.

Edward pulled into the parking garage, being sure to park within the darker portion of the lot on the unusually bright day. As he and Jasper got out, they were assaulted with the thoughts and feelings of those around them. Both smirked, amused at the slow and steady rocking of one car near them; its occupants apparently too eager to wait until they had checked into their hotel room.

They passed several other cars, hearing or feeling the reaction of the occupants to them or to whatever they were preoccupied with. As they passed by one of the last cars, though, both slowed down slightly, curious at what they experienced – or didn't experience.

_Curious_, thought Jasper. _I can't feel anything. She's... numb. Dead._

"I don't hear anything either," whispered Edward, frowning slightly. _Not even song lyrics_, he mused as he listened to the tune coming from her headphones. It was human habit to unconsciously repeat familiar things like lyrics or commercial jingles. An incredibly annoying thing for one with Edward's abilities. _I would love to find someone I truly couldn't hear_, he grumbled to himself.

They checked in at the desk, imbibing the waves of lust rolling off of the female hotel staff (and more than a few of the men) before going up to their suite.

Edward rolled his eyes as they entered the elevator. "She had quite the imagination," he muttered, referring to the woman who had processed their information. "She's read far too much porn on the internet. I'm not even sure that half of what she was thinking of is even physically possible."

"You might well be surprised at how much _is_ physically possible, Edward," laughed Jasper. "Tell me what we know about Ms. Swan."

"Twenty two years old... single... B.A. in Literature... plans for an M.A. later... travelled a little bit... both parents dead... Nothing striking. I can't imagine what it is about her that has made such an impression on Aro, but he seems to want her," mused Edward.

"Want her? Did you hear something he was thinking? Is he creating a harem?" Jasper laughed.

"No, no. For the job. We do need a new human, now that Emmett is... changed." Edward grimaced as he said it. He could not understand Rosalie's attachment to the man. Emmett was a fine person, but to 'fall in love' and change a human seemed so... dramatic. But then, dramatic was so very Rosalie.

The Volterra School regularly kept at least one or two human teachers on staff to interact with people from accreditation boards or government agencies. It helped to have someone who would age normally and not alarm anyone in case the school received any extra scrutiny. So far, they had never been investigated or implicated in anything. Their record was spotless, and they worked diligently to maintain it.

A soft knock sounded at the door and Jasper moved to open it. Edward braced himself for the usual wave of female lust that would hit them when a young woman met them for the first time. It was his favorite thing in the world, now that he no longer imbibed human blood. But as Jasper opened the door and greeted Bella Swan, there was nothing.

No lust. No emotions. No thoughts.

Jasper ushered her in and invited her to take a seat. She did so, meeting Edward's eyes as she sat. At that moment, Edward truly looked at her, taking a deep breath to counter his frustration at not hearing anything from her impervious mind.

As her scent hit him, he came undone.

His hunger flared in his throat, unquenchable and burning his dead flesh like napalm; not lessening the longer he thirsted, but growing stronger every moment. There was no way to put out that fire other than to drain her.

Coupled with his need to feed from her, he was nearly devestated at the way his body flared with undeniable lust. He had never understood the need to claim a mate, body and soul, until that moment.

Nothing, no human alive had ever smelled this good. No woman had ever been so desirable. If he could have her, he would never need another. Ever.

In a split second, he became absolutely feral, desiring nothing more than to gather her softness to him and sink his teeth into her warm flesh. He would stroke her hair and whisper his devotion as he unbuttoned her shirt and and unzipped her skirt. He would kiss her sweet, fragrant mouth, taking in the perfume of her warm breath. He would kiss his way down her body, nipping and sucking until he buried his face between her thighs and feasted on her sex before he sank his teeth into the vein in her thigh. He would slide himself into her warmth as he moved back up to kiss her mouth and neck and tear the skin on her throat, draining her as they both came. She would love it, not even noticing her life was draining away as he brought her to heights of pleasure as she died. He would always have the perfect memory of her – her taste, her feel, her wet warmth, her cries of pleasure.

He would need nothing more for the rest of his life.

His every sense sharpened as he locked eyes with this girl – his prey. Suddenly, he felt something from her. A lust that matched his own, perhaps even oustripping his. She looked shocked at the way she felt. Frightened by it. By him.

The fear in her eyes was what brought him back to reality. He did want her. He knew that he would try to have her. But he wanted her to come to him full willing. He would not take what was not offered.

He was confident that he could get her to offer herself.

And soon.

_Mine. I could... keep her. Change her. Always mine._

As he mastered himself, he became aware of the fragility of the situation. Jasper was sitting uncannily still, trying his best to overcome the raging lust for blood and body that he had absorbed from Edward and Bella.

_I can't handle the two of you, Edward. You have to get me away from her. Please_, Jasper thought.

Bella's eyes flicked between the two men, narrowing as she tried to determine what was different, what was wrong. Edward could smell the beginning of the instinctual fight or flight process and that scent coupled with her arousal nearly made him groan out loud. Frightened humans smelled so much more appealing than passive ones. Apparently, aroused and frightened ones were the sweetest of all.

Just then, Alice walked into the room, laying a light hand on Jasper and showing Edward a brief vision of him standing by the moving van containing Bella's things.

He relaxed as he realized that she would, indeed, be leaving this room alive.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I didn't mean to make you wait, but thanks for not starting without me. So Bella, tell me about yourself," Alice began, effectively taking over the interview as Jasper and Edward got themselves back under control.

The rest of the interview went smoothly. Edward didn't speak, preferring to sit back and observe Bella.

Neither her lust nor her arousal had dissipated during the process of the interview. If anything, it intensified each time that Edward shifted in his seat or leaned forward to listen to her.

He became deeply absorbed in watching her lips form words, her throat swallow, her hands move in gentle, fluttering gestures as she spoke. She shifted and recrossed her legs, causing her skirt to lift up showing a bit more leg and he found his eyes glued to the smooth expanse of soft, pale skin. His gaze traced the lines of her legs, the soft curve of her hips, the fullness of her breasts, the gentle wave of her hair.

Apparently, this woman possesed the ability to completely dismantle the gentleman inside of him. He was even more intrigued that she seemed to be completely unaware of her physical perfection, as she lacked any of the normal gestures and bearing of a woman who was consciously trying to be attractive.

She and Alice both sat back and relaxed, and Edward realized that the interview was finished.

"That's wonderful, Bella. I know we're going to be great friends. I'd like to help you by arranging housing for you, on our campus. You're free to live anywhere you like, but I think it would help you settle more quickly if you didn't have to worry about finding a place to live when you arrive. What do you think?"

Bella looked relieved and nodded in consent. Alice went on to say that the terms of her contract included moving expenses, setting up a bank account in Forks, and several other mundane matters. Edward once again tuned out the conversation, choosing to focus on Bella's manner and bearing.

The sound of his name brought him back into the conversation.

"Edward will come to your home on your moving day and supervise things. Will you keep your car, or will you get a new one in Forks? If you do sell yours, Edward will drive you to Forks." Alice flashed a quick grin at Edward as she thought amusedly of him maintaining his self control on the car trip with Bella. _She'll sell the car, and you will barely – just barely – be able to keep your hands to yourself while driving. I forsee you becoming quite the pervert, my friend. You're going to wish many times over that you hadn't wished you could have someone whose thoughts you couldn't hear!_

"I'll let you know," Bella replied quickly, stealing a quick glance at Edward and rapidly blushing a most delicious pink.

"Oh, before you go, we would like you to fill in some paperwork and when you arrive, we'd like you to have a physical. It's just routine." They were occupied for several minutes at the coffee table filling out a sheaf of legal looking papers.

"I... I don't have any emergency contact numbers," Bella said quietly.

"No one? Distant relatives? Godparents?" Alice questioned.

"No. My parents have both died within the last two years. Grandparents have been dead for ages. No aunts and uncles and cousins. No one..." she trailed off.

Alice pressed her hand on top of Bella's gently. "I don't have any family any more, either, except Jasper. All of us at the Volterra School are like family. I hope that you will come to feel that way about us soon."

Bella murmured her thanks and continued on with the paperwork while Edward struggled to surpress a triumphant smirk.

She was alone. No one to interfere between him and her.

_Mine. All mine_, he gloated.

A quiet, mental sigh from Alice intruded on his thoughts. _If you want her, you are going to have to work very hard to keep her alive. I've never seen someone so fated to die in some accident of time or place_.

Several visions played through her head quickly:

_Bella being followed into the hotel parking lot by a man intent on stating his lust and cruelty on her._

_Rotten wood in the ceiling of her bedroom cracking and burying her in rubble two days before she was to move to Forks._

_The brakes on her car failing just as she passed the sign welcoming her to Forks._

Edward closed his eyes in frustration. He would simply have to follow her, constantly. Or have her followed. The things he saw in Alice's head were unacceptable.

_Not her_, he thought.

They all stood up as Bella finished her paper work, and Alice shook her hand.

"We'll see you in three weeks, then. I can't wait. I'll find you a nice place to live and make sure it's all set up," Alice rambled.

Bella looked amused as she took in Alice's excitement. Jasper said good bye in his usual Southern gentleman's manner, making Bella smile a bit more.

_She's lovely when she smiles_.

Then she turned to Edward and the two of them locked eyes. The same urge to touch and taste and love her overtook him, and by the way her breathing accelerated, her eyes darkened and the scent of her arousal strengthened, Edward guessed that her thoughts were much the same as his own.

"Let me walk you to your car, Bella."

She nodded, and he helped her on with her jacket, brushing her hair away from her neck lightly and inhaling just a bit as he did.

They walked side by side quietly, entering the elevator and continuing down to her car. As they exited the door of the hotel and entered the parking garage, Edward reflexively rested his hand on the small of her back.

As soon as he touched her, she inhaled sharply and spun to look at him. He didn't move his arm away when she moved, but instead flattened it against her back and drew her towards him slightly. He lifted his other hand to trace a finger down her cheek.

"I am very much looking forward to getting to know you, Bella. Very much." They stood still, not noticing anything else around them for some time – five minutes, fifteen minutes? Neither could have said.

Edward leaned in towards her and pressed his lips very lightly against her cheek. "I'll see you on moving day. Be safe, Bella."

"Edward," she breathed, shakily getting into her car and driving away.

_All mine_, he thought again. He heard the frustrated thoughts of the man in the shadows who had been waiting for Bella to return to her car alone. Jasper joined Edward and they walked forward to make sure that the vile creature would not target Bella or any other woman ever again.


	4. Chapter 4: Leave

Leaving

It took surprisingly little time to wrap up twenty five years of her parents' memories and prepare to close up the house she had grown up in. Bella and Renee had sorted through Charlie's things shortly after his death and there was simply not much left to take care of. She preferred to sell the house before she moved, but figured that if it took time to settle, she'd be fine financially without the profit.

She put the house on the market, packed up boxes with the few things she wanted to keep and opened the house to the neighborhood for a garage sale. The day of the sale was as much a wake as a sale, with the neighborhood coming out to offer kind words before taking a few obligatory discount items as a tangible proof of their sympathy. After she'd cleaned up the last few things that remained behind and divided them into trash/donate piles, she sat down in Renee's favorite chair, feeling the oppressive silence gather around her. She wouldn't miss this house. Without her family, it had become simply walls and windows.

Making her way into the bathroom, she swallowed a dose of the sleeping pills her doctor had prescribed. Over the last few nights, she'd not slept much at all, mostly laying awake and thinking out her plans (or lack of) for the future. She hadn't availed herself of the pills on those nights, and as she tossed and turned she had been bothered by a feeling that she was not alone in the house, which, given the circumstances and her extreme loneliness, made no sense. She knew with complete certainty that everyone who had been important to her was gone. It must be an extreme case of wishful thinking.

Whatever it was, tonight she had no patience for it. She needed to sleep and sleep well. She planned to leave for Forks in a week and wanted to use the next few days productively.

The pills were very effective. She only woke up one time, and even though she felt the presence of another person more strongly than ever, it did not disturb her. For some reason, it made her feel safe.

-----

Edward had returned to Forks with Jasper and Alice in order to hunt and pack up. His 'family' had an apartment in the city that they used from time to time, and he had decided to base himself there while keeping track of Bella Swan. Alice was obliging him by keeping him apprised of any new visions of danger heading Bella's way. She seemed to be deeply amused by Edward's instant and irrational attachment to the girl and had made more than a few passing remarks about a new sister.

He found himself unable to keep much of a distance. Nights found him lurking around her house, keeping out of sight. It had been both challenging and aggravating to be with her on those nights, since she was not sleeping soundly at all. Keeping as quiet as was vampirically possible, he'd gone through her collection of books and music, looked at her family photo albums and watched a few home videos. He'd rifled through her fridge and medicine cabinet and closet. He'd gone through her cellphone messages and calls, her email and browsing history, and her finances.

Basically, he had behaved like a crazed, obsessed stalker.

He _was_ a crazed, obsessed stalker.

He rationalized that he needed to be here with her for her sake. She was in near constant danger, fated to die in one of a myriad of different ways before he could manage to get her to Forks. Alice had informed him of the way that the ceiling of Bella's bedroom was going to collapse just before she left Forks, so he had arranged to buy her house silently from the realtor, offering a slightly higher price with the condition that he take possession three days before her intended departure date. The realtor was set to inform her the next morning.

Even though Alice hadn't informed Edward of any new threats, he still felt uneasy being away from her for more than a few minutes at a time. Emmett had volunteered to come up and 'do guard duty' as he'd called it, the next night and the night before Edward was going to drive Bella to Forks so he would be well fed and less likely to be tempted by the call of her blood while they were in a confined space together.

Edward sat back in the chair in the corner of Bella's bedroom, tilting his head back to look up at the offending ceiling, the vision of the disaster as Alice had seen it clear in his mind. It would have been an accident truly bizarre in its bad luck. Most of the house suffered from termite damage, but the heavy support beam just above Bella's bed was going to be the first to give way just minutes before she would wake up and move out of the way.

So he'd arranged to buy the house and get her out of the way.

Much like he'd heard the thoughts of the scum in the garage on the day of her interview and moved to dispose of that threat.

Permanently.

Alice had shown him that the brakes of Bella's car would fail just before she arrived in Forks. The car was old and slow and if it didn't fail then, it was sure to do so sometime in the near future. He was going to be sure to do more than just cut the brake lines. He was going to make sure the car was mangled beyond repair, perhaps make it look like the car had been damaged in a hit and run. Emmett might enjoy doing that for him.

Perhaps he could somehow manage to get her to accept a car of his choice. A nice Audi? Perhaps, given her track record, a super safe Volvo. He might be able to get Alice to work it in as a new perk of her contract.

However he managed to handle that, he was looking forward to being able to meet her on the morning of her move, soothe her distress over the destroyed car, and offer her a ride with him.

To spend time with her while she was awake.

Not that he minded this time with her, while she was asleep and vulnerable. Tonight she had taken sleeping pills; he could smell the bitterness of the medication in her blood. He didn't like to have have her sweet scent polluted, but it did mean that she was deeply asleep and he was free to sit by her side and watch over her. As she lay cocooned in warm blankets, her scent grew slightly stronger, burning his throat with pleasurable agony. She dreamt as she slept, sometimes spilling the secrets of her worries and sadness as she spoke in response to whatever she was seeing in her mind.

Her closed mind.

It should bother him more that he couldn't hear her. A closed mind meant danger; someone might figure out their secrets and he wouldn't know in time to divert them. But he intended for this girl to know his secret, to know what he was. He wouldn't try to hide his nature, choosing to trust in Alice's visions that she would want him anyway, and would be his. He looked forward to the challenge that was Bella Swan, even if he was surprised at how difficult it was becoming to keep one specific human alive.

Alive for now, he thought. Once he made her fall in love with him... keeping her alive wouldn't be important. Then he could make her indestructible. Not that it would mean he would leave her alone.

Not at all.

-----

When Bella awoke the next day, she made a full pot of coffee, hoping to shake off the lingering drowsiness of the sleeping pills. Just as she'd poured her second cup, the realtor called her to inform her that she had a buyer for the house who had two unusual but not unheard of requests: anonymity and immediate possession of the house. Bella only had four days to move out. She hesitated for a bit, finding it hard to mentally adjust the finely honed schedule she'd planned out, but decided that it would be best, after all to get all of her loose ends tied up here before she left. She'd take the conditions.

She placed a call to Alice, inquiring if she could move in a few days early. Alice assured her that it would not be a problem, and offered her brother's help with the moving.

Bella was torn. She could not deny that she craved being around Edward Cullen again. What woman in her right mind wouldn't? But he made her think and feel things and she wasn't ready for that. She liked the numb. Instead of giving a definite yes or no, she waffled and said she would let Alice know when she figured things out.

After hanging up the phone, she sat down to look at her finances, seeing that things looked significantly more sorted out than she thought she had left them. With the sale from the house going through so smoothly, she had a bit of extra cash to burn. She got dressed and headed out for a morning of book shopping and, most likely, more coffee.

Two hours later, she was halfway through the stacks at her favorite cozy bookshop, balancing a pile of books with one hand and a cup of coffee with the other. As she started to head around a corner, a book caught her eye and distracted her from her walking, causing her to lose her balance for a moment.

A pale arm shot out and steadied her, her books and her coffee cup, pulling her close and holding her still until she caught her balance. She looked up into the face of Edward Cullen.

Breathtaking, stunning, dazzling, magnetic, gorgeous... a host of adjectives went through her mind and failed to be adequate for his description. He was simply... Edward Cullen.

He smiled kindly at her, keeping his arms around her for slightly longer than seemed strictly necessary and tucked a bit of hair behind her ear before stepping back into a normal semblance of personal space.

Despite how overwhelming his presence was, they fell into easy conversation about the books she held and the title that had caused her misstep. Their conversation transitioned into talk about what she could expect from shopping in Forks (not much) and what she was moving with her. That allowed Edward to bring up the subject of when and how she was moving.

"Coincidentally," he told her, "I will be in town on the day you're moving. I have business to finish here and won't be going back until the day you are going to Forks. Alice asked me to go to your house while the movers are there to be sure they knew exactly where to take your things and make sure the arrangements go smoothly. She wants to be sure there aren't any complications in getting you to Forks. She's really quite eager for you to be one of us; one of the staff of the Volterra School."

It was in Bella's nature to protest receiving help. She was usually the one to make arrangements, to look after details. She was the caretaker.

Edward seemed to sense her reluctance and he smiled gently. "You'll get used to the way that Alice takes over the planning process for anything she's involved in. She's very good at... predicting problems that might occur and taking steps to eliminate those problems. Plus, she pouts. If you don't give in, she makes you feel very, very guilty. She means no harm, and like I said, she's simply very excited to have you join us."

Bella gave in with a sigh, accepting that her life was changing in every way whether she wanted it to or not. This was such a small detail in the larger scheme of things that agreeing to spend more time with Edward shouldn't bother her.

More time with Edward.

The thought of it made her uncomfortably aware that she was starting to wake up again, and she was not sure she was ready for it.

-----

The following Wednesday found her in the passenger seat of Edward's very expensive car, gripping the sides of the seat in a double effort to brace herself for impact as he sped down the road at ridiculous speeds, and to keep her hands from making their way over to stroke his face or run through his delicious hair.

How had she gotten here? She should have been sitting in her own car, listening to her crackly radio, traveling at a reasonable speed and hoping that her GPS would get her to Forks without incident. She should not be here in this car, battling lust like a teenage girl waiting for her first kiss.

The day had fallen apart spectacularly, and she had not yet decided if the way it had worked out was better or worse than the way she had planned it.

She woke up, got dressed, packed up her last few things and had breakfast while waiting for the movers and the realtor to arrive. When she opened the door for the moving crew, they looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"Is something wrong?" she had asked.

The simply pointed out towards the street and mumbled something about her car.

She looked out the window and decided that what she saw could only properly be described as 'what was left of her car.' The trunk and back seat were smashed so completely that they were now in her front seat. She was glad she had decided against packing her trunk last night.

The movers got started, casting her looks of pity as she called the police. The police and the realtor arrived just as the movers were loading up the last box and waiting for the go ahead to drive away with her things. She couldn't decide which of the three should get her attention first and the stress of the morning left her ready to scream or cry, or both.

Just then, Edward Cullen pulled up in front of her house. Like a force of nature or perhaps a knight in shining armor, he handled everything, getting the movers sorted out with the final directions, sitting the realtor and Bella down with the last paperwork and taking her insurance information for the police. In a short time, everyone was gone but Edward and Bella as she made one last pass before locking up.

"When I was five, I fell down right here and knocked out my front teeth. When I was twelve, I fell down here again and broke my wrist."

"Good memories," he laughed. He decided just then that he would get the house fully repaired and give it to her later. It might help her retain some of her human memories after the change. Bella hadn't yet mentioned her car, other than to thank him for his help with the insurance. Since the damage to her car was his fault after all (Emmett had truly enjoyed himself last night), he had wanted to take care of as much of the process as he could for her.

"Bella, the insurance company will pay for a rental car, but you really won't need one for the first few days in Forks. Alice and I will be taking you around for orientation and any shopping you need to set up house properly. Would you consider riding with me? I'm sure that Alice would be more than glad to help you go shopping for a new car later. She's an excellent bargainer, and would be very helpful in getting you a deal."

That was how she ended up here, in a car fit for James Bond, driving at an obscene speed down the wet highway, the air filled with the alluring scent that was part and parcel of Edward's presence, sitting on her hands so she didn't molest him.

Sitting next to Bella in a confined space was an exercise in contradiciton for Edward. It was pleasant agony, delicious starvation, delightful torture. He burned with thirst unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. But as much as he wanted to drain her, he was overwhelemed with the need to protect her against every danger, including himself. It was going to be some time before he'd get inured enough to her scent to be able to safely bite and change her. He would do it, though, and hoped he didn't have to wait too long. He wanted her soon. As soon as possible.

"We're just about to enter Forks," he said, slowing down slightly. "Here is the main street... all three or four blocks of it." He pointed out the supermarket, the bookshop, clothing stores, etc. They soon passed out of the town and drove down a road that wound through thick forest, eventually pulling into a clearing. Bella could make out the shape of a large, well lit building against the gloom of the forest behind it before Edward continued down towards a cluster of cozy looking houses and pulled up in front of one of the smaller ones.

"Welcome home, Bella."

-----

A/N: A few of you have asked more questions about the 'rules' of this AU. I'm keeping a lot of Meyer's rules. Edward does sparkle, and you will see how that gets worked out later. They do have bloodlust, but more like traditional vampires, they can drink from someone and not turn or kill them automatically. Edward just finds himself a little too overcome by Bella's blood. He might not be able to stop from killing her, whereas he easily could with an average person. These vampires carry some incubus traits, so they cause and feed off of the lust of the humans around them. The Volturi here are not quite like the canon Volturi. They are nicer, but what they gain from the students, the town and the school still serves their self interest above all else. They've just found a nicer way to do it. Edward here is very much Stalkward. He's going to be throughout the story. If that squicks you out, you might want to stop here, because it's going to get more intense as the story goes. Also, this Edward has absolutely no resistance to the idea of turning Bella into a vampire. In this story, at this point, it is a foregone conclusion for him. She will be one, he will do it and she is his mate. He's just waiting for her to be ready. Thanks for reading.


End file.
